Press Release Archive

Appthority Pulse Report Reveals Top Blacklisted Apps by Enterprises

Enterprises Exposed to Data Leakage and Privacy Risks from Common Apps; Report Provides Visibility into App Usage and Risks to Inform Enterprise Policies

Appthority, the global leader in enterprise mobile threat protection, today released its new quarterly Enterprise Mobile Security Pulse Report, which reveals the most frequently blacklisted apps by mobility and security teams. For iOS devices, WhatsApp Messenger, Pokémon GO and WinZip were the top blacklisted apps. For Android, Poot-debug(W100).apk, an Android System Theme, and Where’s My Droid Pro topped the list.

Enterprises blacklist apps for a range of security concerns, including specific malicious or data leakage behaviors, security policy compliance and concerns about shadow data storage. The report shows that in Q3, Android apps that were blacklisted scored in the malicious range because malware was detected. iOS apps that were blacklisted scored in the data leakage range for sending SMS messages, tracking location or for sending data — including sensitive data — unencrypted.

The Pulse report also looks at the most common apps found in enterprise environments and their associated risk. The research shows that many popular apps present in enterprise environments have mobile threat risk scores indicative of data leakage and vulnerabilities. According to Appthority’s proprietary Mobile Threat Risk Score, Uber, WhatsApp Messenger and Facebook Messenger are the riskiest Android apps commonly found in enterprise environments. The riskiest iOS apps found in enterprises are Facebook, Pandora and Yelp.

“Enterprise security teams need to understand which mobile apps are being used, the risks they bring, and how their peers are utilizing mobile threat policies to more effectively secure corporate data,” stated Domingo Guerra, president and co-founder of Appthority. “With BYOD and COPE, many commonly used app-store approved apps are making their way into enterprises and posing risks to sensitive corporate data. The Pulse report provides a snapshot of what’s happening in the market so mobility and security teams can make informed decisions to protect themselves from the growing number of mobile threats.”

The complete list of the top 100 apps used in the enterprise (50 iOS and 50 Android), along with their associated risk scores, can be found in the full Enterprise Mobile Security Pulse Report for Q3. The Pulse report uses data from millions of mobile security scans Appthority performs each quarter, as well as Appthority’s proprietary Mobile Threat Risk Score, which measures the highest risk from thousands of data points during Appthority’s deep app analysis.

The Pulse report also details the most common destination countries for mobile data and the reputation of the URLs used most by mobile apps among Appthority’s enterprise customers. Leading destination countries for the top 150 Android and iOS apps are the United States and Ireland. Android apps, however, connected to a wider set of geographic locations, whereas iOS apps connected less to countries such as China, Saudi Arabia and Chile.